After his Resurrection, Jesus appears several times to his
disciples, and on nearly every occasion, they are troubled, frightened by the
physical presence of Jesus before them.
The Resurrection is not an easy sell, and the disciples simply don’t
“get it” right way. In this week’s
Gospel, Jesus asks, Why are you troubled? They don’t know him by sight; he appears
different to their eyes. Even touching
him is not enough – he has to eat food to prove that he is real.
What is Jesus really hoping for here? In a sense, he is asking the disciples to
accept what it is beyond their senses to perceive: he is asking that they open the eyes of their
hearts, so that they might know he is real, so that they might understand all
that he has taught them. But they
don’t. Depending on the eyes is so much
easier than depending on the heart. The
disciples struggle, as do we. Yet Jesus
knows that the heart is stronger, and can see more clearly, if only it is
open. Open yourselves to this experience of my presence in your midst, he
is telling them. See me anew!
Humans mostly have nebulous experiences of the risen
Lord. We experience His love in
different ways – but significantly, we do
experience it. God is revealed all the
time; God’s revelation is constant. It
is up to us to be open to that revelation, to see God with the heart, and to
appreciate his presence in our daily lives, whether it be in a sudden
perception of startling beauty, in a kind gesture, or in the eyes
of another human being. Most
significantly, perhaps, we let our hearts see Jesus present when we come
together for Eucharist, growing in our capacity to let love define us, seeing
others as God sees them, simply connecting with one another in this most
communal of sacraments.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is
essential is invisible to the eye.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The
Little Prince
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